David Hill Posted February 3 Share Posted February 3 (edited) AM I DISAPPOINTED! As I wrote back in September, on the STAFF MERRY-GO-ROUND THREAD, when the Onyx/Troopers collaboration was announced, I thought/hoped that something perhaps groundbreaking was in the offing. Here's what I wrote: The summer of 71, our band director gathered sections leaders for the upcoming season (I was trumpet) and showed us the late 1960s "Here Come the Troopers." "I want us to perform like this," he said. Our undefeated season in a small, rural town in Northeast Alabama was the beginning of my high school's many-year reign in the top echelons. All because of the "cutting edge" of The Troopers. Including the cutting-edge color guard that defined the idiom before Winter Guard International took over training drum corps guards. The winter of 1986, an eight-member color guard, Onyx, presented a dear, magical, non-literal performance to "Send in the Clowns." It took more than a decade for the obsidian-named unit to become cutting-edge World Champions and to define the idiom. There is congruence, in my mind, in bringing these two organizations together at this time. Mr. Lenz' muscular, angular, acrobatic design and Mr. Combs' leadership and performer training overlayed on this iteration of "America's Corps," with its muscular, angular, Cormac McCarthy visions of the American West. Just as I am looking forward to every corps doing what it takes to make its program and organization stronger, its member experience better, and its outcomes more competitive, I am very much looking forward to the potential in this symmetry. Yeah; I'm disappointed. Edited February 3 by David Hill Font and font size changed for readability.. no content was edited. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RiverCityAndTroopersFan Posted February 3 Share Posted February 3 3 hours ago, IllianaLancerContra said: Ya know, if it weren’t for that pesky 10-point guard caption, I’d stir the pot by suggesting Troops are marching 160 brass & percussion. 😎 Dance breaks are your friend 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craiga Posted February 3 Share Posted February 3 3 hours ago, musicteacher said: This is a familiar pattern in this activity for him. Didn't last the winter with Colts a number of years ago and was out after a year as Boston's artistic director. Musicteacher's recollection is correct. Not only that, but not long after his abrupt departure from Boston he dumped BAC'S guard at a regional. I think he had them in 7th or something equally absurd....so absurd in fact that he felt the need to issue a public apology weeks later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MGCpimpOtimp Posted February 3 Share Posted February 3 On 2/2/2024 at 1:52 PM, olddrummer34 said: Looks like Michael Lentz (from onyx) and his team are out at Troopers. This was an exciting off-season development for them and is quite the bummer. I wonder why it happened? Also noticed that they Hired Jason Rob as a program coordinator who was, if Im not mistaken, at Madison Scouts last year. He's the staff coordinator, not program coordinator. Just a design consultant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keystone3ply Posted February 3 Share Posted February 3 3 hours ago, Terri Schehr said: TBH, I followed my friends to Guardsmen. If I’d been a guy, I’d probably have followed those friends to Cavaliers. Although I'm a percussion guy, I would have chosen the Guardsmen for their quality & unique brass style. ✔️ 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terri Schehr Posted February 4 Share Posted February 4 2 hours ago, keystone3ply said: Although I'm a percussion guy, I would have chosen the Guardsmen for their quality & unique brass style. ✔️ The brass really started getting good in 78 when Tim Salzman joined the staff. In 75, the Guardsmen placed 31st at DCI. When I signed up in the fall of 75, I figured I’d be buying a finals ticket. 😂 I 2 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted February 4 Share Posted February 4 9 hours ago, Jeff Ream said: Actually kids commit to a corps and for a staff. Been that way for decades When Garfield let our great drum instructor George Tuthill go after the 71 season a LOT of the drumline quit and moved a town over to the Hawthorne Caballeros, where he was also the drum instructor. I decided to stay with the Cadets after a couple of months, so I went back and played baritone. I would not play in the drumline under the new guy. . . . . Fred Sanford. 😮 But I did get to play horn under Don Angelica, and I had brass class coming up in the fall semester at college, so it worked out. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greg_orangecounty Posted February 4 Share Posted February 4 14 hours ago, Cainan said: Perhaps you forgot when Carolina Crowns staff up and left for Boston... pretty much ALL of Crowns guard followed them. Todays performers DO in fact chose organisations based on instructional staff. You think brass players dont go to BD or Crown to learn under all star brass staffs? I am certain that Paul and Sandi Rennick have absolutely NO influence on percussionists decision to march at Vanguard. Seriously, times have changed pal. No, I really don't follow modern Drum Corps enough to pay much attention to staff moves. I marched with and remained friends with both Ralph Hardimon and the late Tom Float, so I'm aware instructors can influence a young person's decision where to march. I'm referring to people bouncing from corps to corps in chase of a particular instructor(s). I don't think it serves a young person's best interest in the long run, and I didn't let any of mine do it (sports/schools) when I held decision making power. I also believe there is value in loyalty and commitment and if times have changed that it is not a factor - that's a shame. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldSnareDrummer Posted February 4 Share Posted February 4 17 hours ago, Terri Schehr said: TBH, I followed my friends to Guardsmen. If I’d been a guy, I’d probably have followed those friends to Cavaliers. After '76 we had 4 go to the Kilts, 3 go the Cavaliers, 1 oddball go Troopers (I kid, he was a life long Troopers fanatic). I stayed and instructed my last two years of marching eligibility. If I had it to do all over again, I would have probably gone to Phantom Regiment. Their upward trajectory was stronger than the others where friends went, plus they had Marty Hurley on Percussion. A hero of mine since his time with the New Orleans corps, so yeah, I would have been influenced by both the staff and chasing a ring. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cainan Posted February 4 Share Posted February 4 8 hours ago, greg_orangecounty said: No, I really don't follow modern Drum Corps enough to pay much attention to staff moves. I marched with and remained friends with both Ralph Hardimon and the late Tom Float, so I'm aware instructors can influence a young person's decision where to march. I'm referring to people bouncing from corps to corps in chase of a particular instructor(s). I don't think it serves a young person's best interest in the long run, and I didn't let any of mine do it (sports/schools) when I held decision making power. I also believe there is value in loyalty and commitment and if times have changed that it is not a factor - that's a shame. I'd say times have changed but they really havent... This has been going on for literally decades... especially in the guard and percussion captions. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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